Footwear brand Le Chameau has gone from humble beginnings in a Normandy workshop at the start of the last century to setting the industry standard for quality and innovation on a global scale. Popular amongst the fashion-conscious as well as outdoor professionals and sporting connoisseurs, all Le Chameau wellington boots and walking boots are covered by a two-year warranty. It’s a genuine guarantee of quality aided by the fact that their master craftsmen or ‘Maître Bottier’ have to undertake an intensive nine months of training before qualifying.
In the manufacturing of each pair the Maître Bottier carefully stretches the rubber pieces over an aluminium boot last, gradually forming the famous Le Chameau shape. Once the shape has been created, it is then time to add the trims and all the small details that give each Le Chameau boot its premium quality. Once the boot has been constructed, it is ready for the final part of the process.
The final part of creating the Le Chameau boot is the vulcanisation process. This is the ‘cooking’ of the rubber boot at the optimum temperature for the correct amount of time, until it becomes flexible and durable. Each style of boot requires different temperatures and timings, ensuring that each boot is of the required Le Chameau standard. Once the boot has cooled, each boot is tested in water to ensure it is fully waterproof. Before the boots leave the workshop, they must go through one final quality control check before a final polish and being wrapped and boxed ready to make their way to the Sporting Lodge.